


zusammen

by meggiewrites



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: 5 + 1, Basically Just Hömmels' Relationship Over The Years, Boys In Love, Established Relationship, Fluff, Growing Old Together, M/M, Married Life, Nostalgia, Reunions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-10-24 15:01:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20707958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meggiewrites/pseuds/meggiewrites
Summary: Sometimes, being together means you have to endure the occasional separation. But when you see each other again, it's all worth it.Or, five times Mats and Benni reunited after spending some time apart, and one time they were already together.





	1. I: 2009

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maxverstappens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maxverstappens/gifts).

> There's so many things to say about this. I have become quite a slow writer, for one, and it took me over two weeks to complete this. Second, I have really, really enjoyed delving back into these two and their relationship, realizing I really missed this pair of real-life soulmates so so much.
> 
> It was supposed to be an anthology of scenes at different points of their relationship ... and it accidentally became a 5 + 1 when I wasn't looking (ironically, almost, cause I have never written one of those back in the day when they were The Shit) ... whoops? And so, it became a short multi-chapter fic, with every chapter being somewhere around the 1000 words. (Title totally not stolen from Germany's stupid 2018 hashtag. Nope)
> 
> This is, of course, a gift for my best friend ♡ I'm so so happy we could re-find our love for these two, and even happier that we did it together ♡♡♡
> 
> Pls enjoy!
> 
> This ISNT A WIP – updates will occur several times a week!

It’s a rainy day in Gelsenkirchen, and Mats has his hood pulled all the way up, rain dripping from the edge of it to the ground as he shuffles from one foot to the other. To his very dismay, he is starting to notice that his supposedly weather-proof sneakers aren’t that waterproof after all, as he can feel his sole getting damp and his toes getting colder by the second.

After five minutes of waiting, he gives up, and despite swearing that he wouldn’t, he steps closer to Schalke’s training facility, where the small roof in front of the entrance provides well-needed shelter. Still, he keeps his hood up – god only knows what would happen if someone caught him, a Dortmunder, standing watch here. At the very _ least _, he’d probably be accused of espionage and trespassing; luckily, the terrible weather also means that pretty much no one is out, so no one is there to approach him either way.

And, he tells himself yet again as he rubs his hands together – it’s damn cold, considering it’s supposed to be summer – this is worth it.

It’s been three days since club training started up again, and only six days since Mats returned from vacationing in Italy with his younger brother Jonas and his mother.

It’s been four weeks since he last saw Benni.

Benedikt Höwedes, his _ boyfriend. _

Mats bites his lip to hide his giddy grin. God, up until this summer, he always wondered why all movies and books portrayed love as something such over the top, exaggerated. It couldn’t, he thought, possibly feel like this. Except then he met Benni. Benni with his clear laugh, cheeky smile, the galaxy on his cheeks and the forest in his eyes. Benni, who has a heart of gold but is so determined and sure of himself in a way that’s not at all arrogant, but instead endearing and kind.

Benni, who has captured Mats with heart and soul.

In all truth, Mats has been his from the moment they first met back in 2006 and Benni smiled at him with that impossible smile. Of course, he didn’t _ know _ it back then, but he’s very sure that’s when the fondness started to root deep in his insides, one that never blossomed but waited until they met again, only to spring and grow so big and fast until it turned first into full-blown adoration, then love, when they started playing for the U21 together.

It was only this summer that it finally spilled over, all his feelings out in the open, with Benni staring at him with wide eyes and their hands clasped between their bodies shortly before they both leant in, uniting their lips in that one kiss Mats has finally allowed himself to wish for ever since the tournament started.

Something that he now, when they’re official – and god he’s been missing Benni so much – yearns to repeat. 

If only Schalke could hurry the fuck up, tho.

He checks his wristwatch once again – okay, Benni has lamented many times that Magath is notorious for keeping them to stay longer after training, but this is ridiculous. It’s almost 1pm, and Mats hasn’t had lunch yet. Both his stomach and his heart are very much protesting.

He almost jumps when the door suddenly opens, and a gaggle of people exit the building. Upon further inspection, despite the hoodies and jackets, he quickly identifies some of them as Benni’s teammates. (Hard not to, really, when all they are wearing is royal blue.)

Neuer, for one, and his blond mop are unmistakable – when their eyes meet, Manu’s eyebrows raise so high that it seems like they want to marry his hairline. ‘You, here?!’ his eyes seem to say, and he looks almost a bit offended that a Dortmunder might step so far into Schalker territory, but Mats just shrugs and mouths ‘Benni’. Manu rolls his eyes and shakes his head with a grin as he makes the way to his car, clearly unwilling to pay Mats, who he probably deemed crazy now, any more attention.

Mats startles when suddenly, there’s a hand on his shoulder. For a second, he fears that security has come to remove him from the property, but then, he’s met with warm brown eyes, a grin so familiar it aches, and hands making their way down his shoulder, wrapping around his waist.

Benni is hugging him before he has any chance to say anything at all, leaving Mats speechless and filled with a gooey happiness – the first one, mind you, hardly ever happens. But it’s Benni, and he doesn’t find it in himself to complain, not when he can press his nose into blond hair, smell Benni’s familiar shampoo, wrap his arms around his shoulders and finally feels his boyfriend’s head resting on his shoulders.

“Hi,” Mats mumbles into a mouthful of hair, and finds he really doesn’t want to let go ever, delighted that Benni doesn’t even seem to mind the fact that all of himself, including his rain jacket, are grossly wet and cold and really not the best hugging material at the moment.

When Benni pulls away – reluctantly, Mats notices, and his stomach makes a little, happy jump – he can’t seem to stop shaking his head in disbelief, smiling so widely it threatens to split his face.  
“God, Mats. What are you even doing here?!”

Mats grins. “Hey, babe – I missed you too!”

It feels so, so good to say it. Benni wrinkles his nose. It makes him look particularly adorable.

“Missed you too, honey. But if I’m being honest, you smell like wet dog.”

Mats’ offended guffaw is no match for Benni’s delighted giggle when he swats his shoulder, but at least, when he pouts, Benni raises on his tiptoes to kiss him on the temple. “And here I thought you’d appreciate me sneaking on enemy territory just to take you out for lunch.”

Of course, they’d already had plans for dinner. But Mats has never claimed to be a strong man. Honestly, who would be able to wait that long, when there’s something to be done about it earlier?

Benni raises an eyebrow. “Oh, is that what you were planning? Cause I doubt they’d let one like you into any restaurant around here. Especially when you look like this.” This, of course, meaning that Mats looks like a drowned dog. The BVB logo on his sweater that he’s currently hiding under his jacket probably wouldn’t help, either.

Mats huffs. “I’m not stupid. There’s this noodle place in Bochum … I’m hungry. Please?”

Benni’s answering grin is answer enough. “Lead the way, Hummels.”

Yeah, _ god_, Mats has missed him so much. And as he tightens his arm around Benni’s shoulders, only to realize that he locked himself out of his car and thus they have to spend all of their lunch break trying to call someone to open it and ending up having to grab a döner from the next corner, with the vendor glaring at Mats so darkly that he feels like his only defense is a disarming smile – it doesn’t even matter.

Cause Benni is there with him, and that will always be what counts the most.


	2. II: 2015

Appearances aren’t an easy thing. Of course, Benni knows that, and he really does love Lisa so much – but she's not Mats, and he still finds himself wishing he’d been able to spend most of his summer with him instead.

He misses his husband terribly (and he still hasn’t gotten used to the thought, even though it’s literally the best feeling in the world, knowing that they’re actually married), and now, after almost a month of enjoying the Italian sun, with his skin tanned and his spirit thoroughly relaxed, he finds himself anxious as he waits at the at this point of the day almost empty airport.

Their honeymoon hadn’t been a long one. Of course not – how would that have looked, if they were caught after getting married to the two women the public by now calls their respective wives, Benni doesn’t even want to know. Once again, he can only mentally thank Lisa and Cathy; they’ve done more for them that they can ever repay them. But yes – separation from the one you love doesn’t ever get easier, no matter how many times you repeat it.

Mats and Benni have made it through training camps, holidays, forced breaks to disperse some rumors about the nature of their relationship that they haven’t been able to shake; they have been together for six years, and truly, by now, they’ve seen it all.

They can count themselves lucky, Benni knows, that they still play for clubs this close to each other, that they can live together and return to each other most evenings. He knows it’s delusional to think that it will always stay that way, but for now, even a separation this short is enough. Not seeing Mats for two weeks at a time is more than enough to get fed up with it.

Benni sighs. He perks up once the arrivals information board flickers again, and Mats’ flight appears on the screen. Almost instinctively, his lifts his left hand, feeling for his right, finding the finger newly adorned by a platinum band with a move that’s not yet ingrained in his mind, but one that already makes him smile every time.

The airport is pretty empty at this time of the day – most shops have already closed, and so, everyone has either made the way to their gates already, left for their homes, their adventures, their loved ones. Benni, on the other hand, still has his eyes fixed on the big doors ahead of him. Every now and then, someone comes through them, drowsy, their hair messy, eyes unfocused, tired after long, exhausting journeys in mostly uncomfortable plane seats.

It’s the first time ever since he was a teenager and his mother came back from a month-long business trip, that he waited for someone like this. Usually, it’s not the best idea when you are a celebrity – a word Benni hates attributing to himself, but at the same time often cannot deny. Düsseldorf is a neutral zone, so the denizens of the airport aren’t prone to expose him as Schalke’s captain as they do whenever he walks the streets of Gelsenkirchen, but it’s rare enough that he can just stand around in plain sight, with no one approaching him, like this.

He’s alone – this morning, Lisa had proposed to come with him, if only for appearances alone, but Benni had denied her with a soft kiss on her hair. Of course, she’d understood; they’ve been best friends ever since they were children, and she knows, even without Benni telling her, how much this reunion with Mats means to him. How much he wants it to be just theirs.

And – this is first time he will get to hold his husband again after the first time they parted after their wedding.

Lost in his thoughts, Benni hadn’t even noticed when he let his eyes drift away, too, and so he startles violently when someone throws their arms around him from behind. Subsequently, he almost knocks Mats out by just barely avoiding knocking his head against his husband’s jaw.

“Surprise!!!!!!” Mats chirps into his ears, and even if the shock of the surprise still sits in his bones, Benni feels his lips pulling into a wide smile, and he scrambles to turn around in order to embrace his favourite person in the world.

“Hi, honey,” he breathes out, sighing contently when Mats buries his nose in his hair. 

He can almost feel his husband's smile. “Hope you missed me, babe.”

Oh, he has no _ idea_.

Benni can’t hold back then, he just _ has _ to kiss him. And for once, it doesn’t even matter that anybody could be watching them; after all, he’s sure that no one is, and even if there were, that they wouldn’t be staring for the reasons he or Mats or anyone else in their situation would fear; this is probably the only situation that anyone could claim being stared at because they’re a gay couple is a good thing – because it distracts from _ who _ exactly they are.

Mats smiles against his lips. He tastes like sleep, airplane food and orange soda, but mostly, everything about him is so achingly, perfectly familiar that Benni feels like holding him, being back in his arms, is the home he’s been so dearly missing for the past few weeks. Cause now that they’re married more so than ever, that is what they are – each other’s home. And even if it might sometimes cause them pain–

Benni wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mats’ smile has transformed into a grin when they pull away, one that’s slanted, tempting, his eyes small with joy and hooded with the promise of what’s to come. He licks over his lip.

“Well, shall we?”

And with a smirk, Benni links his arms with that of Mats, this handsome devil of a man who can still be the clumsiest being in the world, but who is just absolutely perfect the way he is in Benni’s eyes; links his arms with his _ husband_, the only person who has ever meant this much to him.

The only person who could ever.

And he can’t wait for what’s to come – and that includes everything that comes after this surely very special night, as well. There’s a promise of the rest of their lives, and he’s proud to know that with Mats, every single part of his future will be – well, maybe not perfect.

But certainly the best Benni could ever imagine.


	3. III: 2016

It’s strange, returning to the Veltins Arena in another colour than yellow, with no armband around his biceps and a different vibe to the game all together. They don’t hate Bayern the way they hate Dortmund, those Schalkers, and even if Mats is the former queen bee, now he’s just an annoyance rather than public enemy number one. Their goalkeeper, of course, still bears that role, but Manu’s story with Gelsenkirchen is wholly different than anyone else’s. Thomas has told him that Manu doesn’t mind returning, though, that he still sees it as his home – Mats finds that hard to believe when they whistle at him every game, but it’s not like it matters much to him.

But nevertheless, for Mats, in a way, this stadium bears a little bit of home too – in form of the blue team’s captain.

“Hi, babe,” Mats says quietly as he lines up behind Javi, next to his husband, and Benni’s smile is warm albeit a bit tense when he looks up. “You okay?”

“It’s odd, seeing you in red,” he says, and Mats’ stomach clenches. It sucks, being separated from Benni. Much more than the change of team, the change of environment, different people around him every time, seeing his family more often again – all those are big changes to his life, sure. But it all doesn’t even compare in the slightest to the pain of having to fall asleep without his Benni most nights. Having to rely on calls and texts to stay in contact, and it becoming a luxury if he gets to talk to his husband face-to-face every day.

This was your idea, a voice at the back of his mind hisses, you were the one who was unhappy at Dortmund, unhappy under Tuchel, ready to be something more – Mats  _ knows _ all of this. And somehow, he’s proud of it, proud of pulling it off, proud of returning to where it all started for him. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t regret it at the same time, either.

“I miss you too,” he whispers, and lets the back of his hand brush against Benni’s in a meager attempt for comfort. Then he straightens his shoulders, looking ahead to where the big entrance leads out on the field – he can’t have emotions cloud this game. Not like this.

He’s always been good at it too – luckily, there haven’t been too many times where they did have to play against each other, oftentimes, one of them had been injured or on the bench, but he’s always been able to separate between Benni, his husband, and Benni, his opponent, while never losing sight of the former, either.

This time it feels different, though. This should have been their perfect reunion, but instead of getting a quiet moment for themselves, there are the eyes of their teammates fixed onto their backs, tens of thousands of people that are watching from the stands, and they have their job to do.

It’s so far from intimate that Mats almost has to laugh at the irony.

It’s only when Benni tugs at his sleeve again, sending him a supportive smile, that the bitterness slips away from his mind. They’re together again, and that’s what counts, that, and the way Benni’s eyes crinkle under the light of the tunnel, his skin starkly pale against the dark, textured walls, the way he nods and mouths ‘later’, that makes Mats’ heart jump.

He cannot wait for the game to end.

In all honesty, it’s not that bad. Both him and Benni receive a yellow card over the course of the first half – Mats first, for a particularly mistimed tackle, and he catches Benni grinning at him out of the corner of his eye as he walks past them, patting his teammate on the shoulder. Mats ist tempted to flip him off but resorts to just rolling his eyes, and instead laughs up his sleeve when the same happens to Benni, just a good twenty minutes later, smirking when he sees Benni glare at him.

They don’t really get to talk much during halftime break, the 0-0 hovering over their heads like a dark thunder cloud, so their respective coaches shoo them back into the dressing rooms to light a fire under their asses, and truly, there’s no time to chat to your opponents – even if said opponents include one dearly-missed husband – and thus, it’s only after the final whistle that Mats can finally jog up to him, lifting him up in a hug, not caring if any of the cameras pick it up or not.

Benni laughs delighetly, cradling Mats’ head and pressing a kiss onto his hair.

“Missed you, you goof,” is what Mats believes he’s said, but with all the noise surrounding them, it’s really hard to tell. They don’t part from each other’s side as they walk down to the dressing rooms, and when they do, it’s only when Ralle punches Benni’s shoulder passing buy, muttering something about old married couples, and Thomas just lifts his eyebrows knowingly as he pushes past them.

Benni pulls up the zipper of Mats’ jacket, letting his hand rest on Mats’ chest for a second.

“Meet me at the car?”

Mats’ enthusiastic nod comes before he has any chance to stop it. Okay, it’s considered common courtesy to come along to the team dinners following each game, but luckily, Mats had already put in a word a week before the game, saying that he’d love to seize the opportunity to meet up with old friends instead, so no one bats an eye when he packs his bag quicker than all the others, putting on his regular clothes so hastily that he almost trips over his pant leg in the process.

He’s almost ready to hit Thomas over the head with one of his cleats, when his friend only cackles at his misery, when Thomas says “can’t wait to see lover boy, huh?” – even more so when Neuer, inexplicably, as always lately, to be found right by Thomas’ side, snorts and shakes his head knowingly.

Mats narrows his eyes at them, but decides that he’d rather not put himself down on their levels. Instead, he buckles his belt, gets up, throws his bag over his shoulder and waltzes towards the door.

The “see you later, losers” that he throws over his shoulder upon leaving causes an outcry among his teammates, and he can only grin as he makes his way towards the exit. What a crazy bunch. Okay, most days, he still misses his Dortmund buddies like crazy, but Bayern is his home, too. But never, not ever, in a way that could replace the one waiting for him leaning against his sleek, black car in the garage.

Benni raises his eyebrows as Mats is walking towards him, his lips twirled into an amused smile when he notices the pout gracing Mats’ expression.

“Thomas?”

Mats huffs. “Idiots, the whole lot of them. You’re way better.”

Benni laughs, a sound that’s of a rumbling warmth and familiar and makes Mats relax automatically. Benni grins. “I mean, I should hope so. After all, I am the one you married.”

And with that, he finally pulls Mats into that kiss they’ve both been craving ever since two hours before. (And, if he’s being fully honest, for the three weeks before that, too.)


	4. IV: 2019

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favourite chapter, actually, hope you enjoy it! ^^ (also sorry for the not-so regular updates ... life recently has been a bit more hectic than anticipated)

Benni is early. Five hours early, to be precise. Okay, it definitely wasn’t an accident – but as soon as he’d realised that he would be able to leave the last meeting he had to attend in Moscow a lot earlier than expected, he’d immediately checked if he could catch an earlier flight as well; and he’d been lucky.

It is odd, arriving in Düsseldorf during the daylight. Whenever he came home during the weekend – and yes, now that his most special person lives here again, he has realized that he truly wants this city to be his home – he’d arrived late in the evening, the sky already dark, the figures of the people on the street barely silhouettes in the night, the houses lit up from the inside.

Now, the sky is blue, the sun is out, and the air feels both warmer and heavier than it did back in Russia. Benni takes a deep breath of it, and it feels like comfort, being back here, when he knows every turn of the airport, every corner of the streets.

At first, he considers just going to Mats’ place first thing, but then, upon realizing that his husband might not even be home yet, he decides he could afford getting coffee first.

It’s a hole-in-wall place, so small that barely five tables fit into the main room, but Benni knows there’s a door in the back that leads to a small courtyard, cozy and hidden from the eyes of the passer-bys and perfect to quietly have a cup of cappuccino, be that by yourself or with someone else.

For Benni, the little coffeeshop is more than just a place he fondly he remembers from his time living here though – it’s where he and Mats often used to go on casual dates, or even met up a couple times before they even became a couple. The owners had changed several times over the years, but it always stayed that private, perfect place, where no one would really pay attention to them and they could just be themselves.

He remembers the way he took Mats’ hand the first time here, with intent, under the table, both of them blushing and turning their heads away and knowing exactly where this would lead but not daring to do anything about it, not yet. It had taken another few weeks and one international tournament for the inevitable to finally happen, and once they’d returned from Sweden, they’d found themselves seeking out this place again and again, until it truly became theirs, something treasured and secret, a spot they never shared with any of their other friends or their families.

When Benni walks through the entrance now, a bell chimes above his head, and the cashier sends him a warm smile. She doesn’t recognize him, which he’s grateful for, and he knows he’s never seen her here either – but considering he hasn’t frequented this place ever since Mats’ move to Bayern had been finalized, didn’t find himself wanting to, not without Mats there, not with Mats so far away, that’s no miracle.

It hadn’t even felt that bad, when he’d had to leave for Turin.

Mats already was gone, and in distance, the North Italian city wasn’t further away from Munich than Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen had been. They’d coped, somehow, and still managed to see each other every now and then, even if, despite everything, he’d missed playing against Mats.

No, for Benni, that first transfer, his escape from a club and a coach that clearly had no want for him anymore, had felt more like a relief than anything else.

… for Mats, it hadn’t been that easy.

The separation thing had always been harder on him than on Benni. It had taken the latter a while to figure that out, and it had only been confirmed once Benni left the bundesliga for well – since then he knows the truth: Mats can’t cope well without him. Maybe that should scare him, that another being depends on him so much emotionally, but then Benni remembers how much he loves him, how he’d do anything for him, and all his worries fades away immediately. 

He’s never gonna blame Mats for missing him, not when Benni misses him the same amount.

To be fair, Mats has a way harder time dealing with that, though. Benni had seen him grow more restless, unsettled, his eyes tired and exhausted, but so so heavy whenever he’d picked up Benni’s calls. Has heard from Thomas and Manu and later Leon about his jabs having more bite, his voice being more sniding, and him being more tense in general, trying to overplay it with witty quips and the general over-the-top-ness that Benni’s husband performs so well – for anyone but Benni.

He has always been able to see through Mats’ layers, and it hadn’t been fun to watch ever since he left Turin, moving even further away from Mats as a consequence of Schalke not wanting him back even after another season.

He could feel and see his husband growing lost and tired, and once Bayern had started buying new defenders in the bulk, he could see him growing uncomfortable at his club, too.

Benni hadn’t even been surprised when Mats called him one night, sounding tired and hopeful at the same time, telling him about his pendent move back to Dortmund. He sounded happier, from that day on, and for a second Benni found himself pondering it too – what if things could become like they’d been over three years ago – before realizing that unless Schalke offered to take him back, he wouldn’t be capable of returning to the Bundesliga, and even if he did, nothing would be the same at all.

Even if he would have done it all the same for Mats.

Yet, he feels twenty-four again when he makes his way to the back, pushing open the courtyard, looking forward to it, even knowing his husband won’t be there–

But then, he stops short as he lifts his eyes, and finds a familiar tuft of dark hair sitting in the corner, in _ their _ corner, hands he knows as well as his own stirring coffee with a spoon, lost in thought … he can only see the man’s back, but he’d recognize him anywhere, everywhere, even without seeing his face, without hearing his voice.

“Mats?”

His husband startles, so violently that he knocks over his cup of coffee, spilling the liquid all over his pants as he whips around, staring at Benni with wide eyes. He just gapes at him, doesn't even manage to get a word out as Benni walks up to him, rushes, almost, as he goes to wrap his arms so tightly around Mats, feeling his eyes water at the look of genuine surprise and happiness that he sees in his husband’s, and holds him close, and closer still.

“What– what are you doing here?!” Mats stutters, and Benni pulls away with a wet chuckle, running his fingers through Mats’ hair. It’s getting longer again, curling at the edges, just the way he loves it best.

“I told you I was coming today, remember?”

Mats pulls away, crossing his arms in front of his chest. They look great in the snug t-shirt he’s wearing, and he’s pouting – making him look quite adorable, and very reminiscent of the young man Benni first fell in love with, ten years back.

Ten years, _ god_.

“You said you’d arrive at seven!” Mats’ tone would be accusing, if not for the smile he is unable suppress, the way his right hand twitches where he’s shoved under his armpit, ready to reach for Benni again.

Benni puts his hand on his cheek, gently thumbing over it.

“Surprise, honey.”

And then, they finally share it, their kiss.

– in retrospect, not the wisest idea. They seperate so hastily that Benni almost stumbles, and Mats’ chair is dangerously close to toppling to the side, but they both manage to compose themselves before the nice barista enters the courtyard with Benni’s coffee and a piece of chocolate cake on a little tray. She doesn’t even seem to be confused by the fact that they know each other and are sitting at the same table – or standing, in Benni’s case, he notes before awkwardly sitting down.

“Here you go!” she says, “enjoy!”

Mats lets out a breath of relief once she leaves. Luckily, Benni finally realizes, they’re alone in the courtyard.

“Do you think she saw us?”

Benni shakes his head. “No, I think we’re good. And even if she did – she had no clue who I am.” Mats grumbles something unintelligible. “What?”

His husband snorts. “Just because she doesn’t know someone who’s been playing aboard the past few seasons doesn’t mean she wouldn’t recognize _ me_.”

Benni pushes at his shoulder. Not hard, but enough to make Mats’ dangerously unstable chair wobble for a second. “Shut up. You are the one who fucked off to Bayern two seasons ago, aren’t you?” They both chuckle. Mats’ grin is wickedly beautiful.

“I came back, didn’t I?”

You did, Benni thinks, and takes Mats’ hand where it’s laying on the table, threading their fingers together, marvelling that even now, after all those years, they still fit together so perfectly. He squeezes it, and everything is alright.

And for a moment, he feels young again, with a footballing career right ahead of him – but now, even being in the fall of his days as an active player, he realizes that as long as Mats is by his side, he still has an entire lifetime ahead of him, one he will share with the man he loves, who he knows better than he knows himself.

And as he predicted, Mats pushes his chair back slightly now, eyeing him curiously, asking the question Benni has been waiting for.

“How the heck did you know you would find me here?”

Benni smiles.

“I didn’t. I guess the nostalgia simply overcame us both at the same time.”

He doesn’t say out loud that maybe it’s a sign, an act of fate, because that sounds too cheesy even in his own head.

Doesn’t mean he doesn’t believe in it, though.


	5. V: 2030

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeah the regular updates went out of the window huh akshkajsh ... but here's the 2nd to last one!!

The heavy autumn rain leaves stains on the outside of the window of Mats’ office. It’s grown colder these past few weeks, and winter is coming quicker than Mats would ever want it to.

He’s been staring at the same unfinished paragraph for over thirty minutes and he’s developing a headache, so he lifts his hand to rub the sore spot between his eyebrows. Of course, it doesn't help.

Next to him, Paula, their pet turtle, is nibbling on a leaf of salad. Benni always shakes his head when Mats carries her around the house, taking her with him wherever he goes, but Mats is glad for her quiet company. Milo, their dog, really isn’t the best at sitting still for hours on end while Mats is working, so he either lets him run around the house after his morning walk, or leave him to play in the garden, whereas Paula is perfectly happy being put down on any flat surface, with a bit of food to snack on for however long Mats needs.

Of course, getting her has been his idea.

Living with Benni full-time again post-retirement had been what Mats had looked forward to the most once he hung up his football boots. And now, seven years later, everything is perfect.

Except that the article he’s writing is causing him a migraine (something that's a more common occurrence than you’d think) and Benni has decided to get a coaching license and is now Schalke's head coach. Which, of course, is all fine and dandy, really. But in weeks like this, with the Bundesliga and Europa League in the same week, it’s just that Mats hardly sees him anymore. And god, in some ways, as much as he wants Benni to be happy with his job – and he is, he loves it – he’s really hoped that these times were behind them.

He balls his fist into his curls, tugging at them. They’re a bit salt and pepper now, Mats is aware, but Benni claims it makes him look rather dashing and intellectual, so he’s not exactly complaining. His eyesight has been getting worse too, though, and staring at tiny text on a screen almost every day for a living probably doesn’t exactly make it any better.

Mats stifles a groan, and Paula slowly lifts her wrinkly head. She looks a bit sad, but in all honesty, she almost always does. Mats manages a small grin, and reaches over to scratch her chin.

“Hey girl. Sorry that I'm probably not the best company today.”

As usual, Paula doesn’t even react. That’s turtles for you.

Mats sighs. He checks his watch – and yep, there’s another three hours to kill until he’ll finally see his husband, and he really isn’t in the mood to do anymore work. His editor can wait until another day, he decides, pushing back his chair, picking up Paula, the salad still hanging out of her mouth in his right hand and his empty coffee mug in his left before walking downstairs.

Now that he and Benni have been living here again, together, for the past seven years, the period when they played in different cities, in different countries, feels like nothing but a distant memory. Mats likes to remember it as a good time, but deep down he knows it was the the time where their relationship had been the most strained, where it had the biggest chance to fall apart.

Mats knows they’ve been incredibly lucky. Through the distance and the separation, they had managed to retain their trust in each other; and even more so, it made the reunions always so much more special.

Yet, he wouldn’t trade the life he has now for it, not ever, even when Benni coaching and always spending at least one night each week not at home – it’s so much more than they've ever had before.

It’s perfect.

Mats almost stumbles over his feet as he entres the kitchen; evidently he really needs that second coffee. From the living room, he can hear Milo rummage, and he isn’t even surprised when their dog comes running the second he opens the fridge to find something to snack on. Sadly, the only thing ready to eat is yogurt – but at least it's chocolate flavoured.

Milo pushes his snout against Mats’ legs, and Mats chuckles, reaching down to pat his had as Milo smiles his happy dog smile up at him.

“Easy, boy. This is for me.” Milo doesn’t care, and follows him into the spacious living and dining room, tail wagging, jumping up on the couch simultaneously with Mats letting himself plop down on it.

Mats has a spoon hanging out of his mouth when he remembers that he forgot Paula and his coffee in the kitchen. And just as he wants to get up to fetch both, he hears a key turning in their door.

Immediately, the room is plunged into chaos.

Milo starts barking, knocking against Mats, who then spills yogurt on his jeans. Milo runs towards the entrance door and Mats curses … but quickly finds it's impossible to stay annoyed when he hears Benni chuckle, sees him crouch down to give Milo a good cuddle, rubbing his sides.

“Oh, you’ve been waiting for me, haven’t you? You’re such a good boy, aren’t you!”

Milo has his tongue hanging out of his mouth – Mats isn’t even surprised when he starts licking all over his husband’s face only seconds later. He chuckles.

“Do I get a hug, too?”

Benni rolls his eyes before gently pushing Milo away a bit, taking the last few steps towards the couch.

He brings in a smell of cold, damp air, frozen dew on coloured leaves and grass crunching under the players cleats. His cheeks and nose are a bit rosy, bitten by the cold, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, of his mouth, deeper with every year that passes. His beard has some noticeable white hairs in it, and whenever Mats looks at him, he both still sees the bright eyed boy he first fell in love with – after all, his eyes still carry the same mirthful youth, his freckled mapping out the same galaxy as they did so many years ago – and how far they’ve come.

That they’ve made it.

And well, Benni just booked his first pan-European win as a coach. Even though it's Schalke, Mats feels pretty darn proud.

He leaves a kiss on Benni’s temple, rubbing his back as they sink into their arms, ready to drown in each others arms and not come back to the surface until real life obligations force them to.

“Congrats, babe,” Mats murmurs, and he can feel Benni grin, even if he cannot see it.

“First time you’re welcoming a Schalke win, to be honest.”

Mats huffs offendedly. “That’s not even true. I’ve always rooted for you. Except when you were playing against us, of course.”

“For me, maybe, but certainly not for the rest of the team.” Benni grins, poking Mats’ side. “I know you, Mats Hummels. After all, I have been dealing with you for almost two decades.”

“Yeah, but.” Mats fiddles with his glasses, feeling his cheeks growing warmer. “I’m proud of you. You know that. It comes before anything else.”

“Even before club rivalries?” Benni is teasing, Mats can tell by his arched eyebrows, the way he’s barely hiding a grin, and because Benni knows this, has known that Mats would be devoted to him until the end no matter what colour he was wearing, stand up for him even if he was his rival’s captain. 

Mats shoves his side, but then he chuckles, catching his husband’s of fifteen years hands in his, and pulling him close.

“Even then. I love you.”

Benni’s laugh is free of all worries.

“Love you too. Always.”

And the best thing is, Mats knows, knows in his heart, his mind, and by the reality that they’ve been given, that this is true. That they will always be there to come back to each other.


	6. VI: 2049

Benni wakes up to Mats’ hair in his hand, and when he squints open his eyes, he realizes they haven’t moved at all ever since they’d fallen asleep last night. There’s a gentle breeze coming through the window that’s sitting ajar, and the sky is slowly turning brighter, giving the world back its colours.

Forty years.

Forty years, Benni thinks, and buries his nose in his husband’s curls. They’re fully grey by now, some of them so light they catch the first sunlight of the day and it almost seems like he’s letting his fingers glide through a river of silver, but Mats makes them look just as handsome as his dark hair did back when they were younger.

It’s been half a lifetime that they’ve been together, and even with Mats’ wrinkles deep even in his sleep, his eyesight pretty terrible by now and both of them on the brink of their second and final retirement, somehow, everything feels just like when it first fell in love, when their feelings first started to grow and bloom, when they had their first kiss, their first date … 

Benni smiles when Mats stirs under his hands, yawning, twisting in his arms as he stretches, almost knocking his right hand into Benni’s chin before apologetically grinning up at him.

“Hey there old man. Is the insomnia catching up with you?”

If he had any energy to move around right now, Benni would have shoved him, if only slightly, but like this, locked with his arms around his husband, he only snorts.

“You’re barely even younger than me! At our age, those ten months are nothing, honey.”

That doesn’t stop Mats from grinning wildly before throwing back the covers, clambering out of bed.

“You’re only saying that cause you’re jealous,” he claims as he slips into his pants. He winces when he bows down, and Benni knows he’s been having issues with his back again, but is too stubborn to actually go see a doctor. (“I’m not  _ that _ old,” he’d say, and distract Benni with a kiss every time, a kiss or a hug or some freshly cooked food, or Paula doing something cute, or something else or the other–)

Benni chuckles. “I’m really not.” He swings his legs over the edge of the bed, and slipping his cold feet into the slippers waiting for him on the floor, he notices once again that with both of them growing slower, more comfortable and less bounding all over the place in their daily life, their only pet being a small turtle that might just outlive the both of them, it has grown quiet in their big house.

Some days, Benni does mind it, finding himself missing his own more youthful energy – but then he stops in front of the gallery wall in the hallway, and he remembers everything, finds himself treasuring every second, every minute, every moment of the life they’ve lived, realizing he wouldn’t give up what they have now, nor any of the moments they lived through, good or bad, young or old, in the wrinkles that have edged themselves into his skin, in the colour of his hair, the knowledge in his eyes.

He startles when Mats puts a hand on his shoulder.

“Is everything alright, babe?”

Benni smiles up at him.

Mats is an old man. He looks every single one of his 61 years, and Benni almost wants to cry – but not because he’s mourning their youth, but because he’s known this wonderful human being for four entire decades. Because they got to spend them together – sometimes apart in distance but always together at heart – and when he looks at his husband, his beloved, handsome face, and the wrinkles that only get more with every year that passes, he doesn’t see an old man.

He sees the young man, barely just not a teenager anymore, that he fell in love with. Sees the wild, dark curls, the wicked grin that has grown softer over the years. Sees the heartthrob female fans used to throw themselves at – sees the man who never paid attention to them apart from the polite, necessary interactions they all go through as public figures. He sees the man who was too in love with him, Benni, to ever see anyone else.

He’s gotten incredibly lucky, he knows. Or maybe, now, after forty years, he’s ready to admit that luck wasn’t all there was to it.

Benni shakes his head.

“It’s nothing. I just love you, you know?”

Mats’ smile grows an impossible amount.

“Yeah. I love you too. Now, how about breakfast?”

Benni nods.

And as Mats tries to haul him up, both of them giggling like little boys when it makes his back crack once again, he realizes that a love like theirs is forever. And even if they’ve still got a while to go, he’s happy to know that he won’t ever have to say goodbye to Mats.

And then he feels Mats’ hands on his cheeks, leaning down as he presses their lips together, and every time they separate and rejoin them again, grinning against each other’s mouths, feels as perfect as the last.

Because they always, always were meant to be together. And they always will be.

**Author's Note:**

> I write FICTION about real people. None of this is intended to harm them or their reputation in any way. Please leave kudos and maybe a comment if you liked it! | [tumblr](http://manuelmueller.tumblr.com/)


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